A casual way to (co)work (copy)

By Crissa Shoemaker DeBreeStaff writer

Sunday

Jul 28, 2013 at 12:01 AMJul 28, 2013 at 3:30 AM

Mike LaCouture is pacing in the conference room, while outside its glass walls, artists Rose Marie Strippoli and Rodney Miller display their latest artwork and a host of other people are glued to their computer screens.

In other words, it’s business as usual at Business Casual.

The hip office space in Bristol Township offers professionals a place where they can “cowork,” or share space and ideas, in an open, comfortable setting.

“Coworking is a term for a community of people that comes together in one particular place,” said Business Casual founder Jonathan Graham. “For here, Business Casual Coworking is a place for entrepreneurs, it’s for freelancers, it’s a place for small businesses to work amongst one another.”

The concept of sharing office space isn’t new. Places like the Cambria Center in Bensalem and the Grain House in Doylestown offer private offices with shared amenities such as conference rooms, receptionists and copy machines. Novotorium, an incubator located in Middletown, offers shared workspace for budding entrepreneurs in the health and wellness field, along with access to business experts.

Business Casual takes that concept one step further. It’s open to anyone who needs a space, with no long-term commitments. Members pay monthly dues ranging from $30 to $300, depending on how often they visit. Membership fees include access to the conference room, Internet and the use of printers and copiers, as well as free events like a monthly networking breakfast.

Graham said he was inspired to create Business Casual while working for a firm that helped design office spaces.

“It was how to make a cool office,” he said. “A lot of that solution was furniture-based, or design-based, or real estate-focused. I realized that wasn’t really ever a factor in how a company worked or how it felt. I realized it was about the people.”

He visited Indy Hall, a Philadelphia coworking space, and originally hoped to open a similar space in the city. But his father offered him affordable space in a building on Grundy’s Lane in Bristol Township, and Graham realized Bucks County was the place to be.

“There’s a tremendous amount of talent in Bucks County that leaves to go to work in places like New York or Philadelphia or California,” he said. “I wished they stayed. If we could create an environment in Bucks County that’s more focused toward the entrepreneurs of the area, to focus their energy and expertise and the knowledge that I know that’s here, I think the potential is limitless.”

Business Casual has 15 members and room for double that amount. Members can set up a workstation at any space along several long tables in the room, or opt for a cozier spot on a couch. There’s even a hammock that Graham brought over from his own home in New Hope. There’s a large conference room and a smaller room for meetings, with more private space planned.

The space also has two unique features: a 4,000-square-foot warehouse space open to members, and the Broken Goblet, a new microbrewery that will open up later this year.

Brewery co-founder LaCouture said Business Casual has proven to be the perfect space for the fledgling business. The space where the brewery is being built already had the needed plumbing and a separate exhaust system. There’s access to the warehouse loading dock.

And the fun meeting space, which includes an air hockey table and pieces by local artists, is perfect for tastings.

“You have a reason to stay after you taste the beer,” LaCouture said, who also uses the space to make sales calls for his day job.

For Joe Witte, finding a space to work outside the home was a necessity.

“I have five kids at home. It didn’t really work,” said the technology entrepreneur, now a consultant for the content publishing site Isebox.

He’s now a part-time member at Business Casual, but expects to begin using the space full time in the coming months.